Employee must prove class action is warranted

Lately, California employers have faced a flood of class-action lawsuits claiming they misclassified employees. Now that tide might turn, thanks to a ruling by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.

The court ruled that, although employers have the burden of proving at trial that they properly classified employees as exempt, at the beginning of a collective action, the burden actually falls on the employee making the allegations.

Recent case: Michael Marlo worked for UPS as a hub supervisor, preload supervisor and on-road super­visor—all jobs that UPS lumped together under the category “full-time supervisor” and classified across the board as exempt positions.

Marlo regularly worked more than 40 hours per week and didn’t get meal breaks, rest periods or overtime pay.

He sued and sought to represent all other full-time supervisors, alleging they had all been misclassified.

Marlo argued that under Cali­for­nia’s Wage Order No. 9, which covers the transportation industry, it’s up to the employer to prove it properly classified employees. Therefore, he argued, he could start a collective-action suit representing all full-time UPS super­visors.

The court disagreed. It said there’s a difference between requiring an employer to show it classified employees correctly at trial and allowing a collective action. At the certification stage, the employee must prove that the employees he wants to represent were misclassified. He has to come forward with more than his own story. He has to show that others have similar stories. The court refused to certify the collective action. (Marlo, et al., v. United Parcel Service, No. 09-56196, 9th Cir., 2011)

Final note: Be ready to show why you classified an employee as exempt. Look at the overall job descriptions for the job category, but make sure you based each particular employee’s classification on specific job duties.

Tomorrow's Training:

Paying employees for their travel time — and dealing with subsequent reimbursements and deductions — is one of the most confusing parts of HR and payroll administration. Discover the IRS and DOL rules regarding what is considered "travel time” versus "commuting time,” plus what is an allowable expense versus taxable wages....Click here to find out more.